One hundred of the 140 workers at a Portland factory will lose their jobs as the global solar industry enters a downward spiral expected to claim more victims.

The MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. factory took an outsize hit from a global retrenchment plan announced by the company Thursday. Worldwide, the Missouri-based company will eliminate about 20 percent of its workforce, or more than 1,300 jobs.

MEMC will continue operating the Portland plant, which uses a unique technology to make silicon ingots for solar cells, said Bill Michalek, MEMC communications director.